Knighthawks Sign Vitarelli to 3-year Extension

The two-time defending National Lacrosse League champion
Rochester Knighthawks and highlight-reel goal scorer Cory Vitarelli
have agreed to a three-year deal through the 2016 season.

"It feels great (to re-sign with Rochester)," Vitarelli said.
"I've had two great years so far and we've been very successful, so
it's great to be part of the team again."

Since joining the Knighthawks late in the 2011 season, Vitarelli
is tied with veteran forward Mike Accursi for second in goals
scored with 61, and has finished second only to Cody Jamieson with
54 goals over the past two seasons.

"He's a guy that can get through the middle. He works extremely
hard to get his teammates open, and at the same time, has that
ability to put the ball in the net himself," said Rochester Head
Coach Mike Hasen.

Despite his success, Vitarelli's name often goes unmentioned,
and he has rightfully earned the team's Unsung Hero Award in 2012
and 2013.

"I think it benefits me as a guy who goes under the radar and is
able to chip in here and there with goals that maybe don't get
quite as much recognition," Vitarelli said. "We're a unit up there,
and to be successful, we all need to sort of chip in at different
times."

"If he can keep going that way, I'll attract the doubles and
I'll dish it to him and he can score the goals," said Jamieson, a
fellow left-handed forward. "I don't know how the guy puts up the
points that he does and he still flies under the radar."

Vitarelli earned a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays with a
diving goal against the Buffalo Bandits on February 9th. That was
only one of his four goals against the Bandits that night. He also
added a behind-the-back goal between the legs of Buffalo netminder
Anthony Cosmo and a cross-crease dive, showing fans just a small
sample of his acrobatic scoring ability. It is his wraparound goals
from behind the net that have earned him the nickname, "Air
Dogger."

"It doesn't look like it, but he's got some athletic ability,"
Jamieson said. "He's just a natural goal scorer. He scores goals
that he shouldn't and he puts in the ones that he should. It's
great to have him on the left side with me."

"He gets the ones that you least expect. He has the knack for
finding the back of the net and has a nose to get himself in the
right spot to make it happen," added Hasen.

The Peterborough, Ontario native made his international debut in
Team Canada's exhibition game against the Iroquois Nationals on
November 17th. He joined the Dawson brothers and goaltender Matt
Vinc in Canada's 12-11 victory over the Nationals at the Bell
Centre in Montreal. His lone goal knotted the game at seven before
halftime.

Over the summer with his hometown Peterborough Lakers, he set
Senior "A" career-highs in goals (18) and assists (25). During the
Lakers' run to the 2012 Mann Cup, he scored playoff highs with 27
assists and 52 points. He has won three Mann Cups (2007, 2010 and
2012) and one Minto Cup (2006) with the Lakers' organization.

With Rochester's entire roster returning this season, Vitarelli
is confident the offense can build off the positives from 2013 and
avoid another slow start in the opening weeks of 2014.

"To have the same guys and basically the same team is nice," he
said. "It's comforting and nice knowing that we just started
hitting our potential at the end of last year...the fact that we're
familiar with each other, we just got to get into the groove."